Intolerance and Hate Crimes Against Christians in the OSCE Region

Thank you, Mr. Moderator,

My name is Thibault van den Bossche, and I represent the European Centre for Law and Justice.

Ladies and gentlemen, the ECLJ wishes to sound the alarm regarding the rise of intolerance and hate crimes against Christians across the OSCE region.

In 2024, OIDAC identified over 2,200 anti-Christian hate crimes in Europe. This overall figure hides a brutal reality: a significant increase in physical assaults and a surge in arson attacks targeting churches and Christian sites. All over Europe, physical violence and the destruction of heritage are intensifying. At the same time, freedom of conscience for healthcare professionals is shrinking, and the educational autonomy of Christian schools is increasingly threatened.

France has become one of the European nations hardest hit by this wave. For the year 2025 alone, official data from its Ministry of the Interior recorded over 800 anti-Christian incidents, representing more than a third of all anti-religious acts in the country.

The nature of these incidents is turning more violent. Historic churches are facing an unprecedented wave of arson, vandalism, desecration, and theft.

Yet, despite these numbers, a major institutional paradox stands before us. France possesses precise, official data on these crimes. So we must ask: why is this data missing from the ODIHR annual report? This failure to report official numbers also extends to antisemitic and anti-Muslim acts. This lack of international transparency severely hinders a global understanding of the problem.

We also call on the European Union to grant Christians the exact same protection already given to Jewish and Muslim communities. We request the appointment of an EU Coordinator on combating attacks and discrimination against Christians. We will not solve intolerance by ignoring the marginalization of the historical faith of our societies.

Finally, ladies and gentlemen, we urgently call for enhanced cooperation between Christian communities, civil society, and Participating States. Only through a close partnership can we report reliable statistics, break the silence of under-reporting, and compel judicial authorities to recognize the religious motive behind these offenses.

I thank you.